Pike pole



R. F. LU DT 'March 22, i949.

yPIKE POLE 2 Sheets-Sheet L Filed Feb. 7, 1945 R. F. LUDT PIKE POLE March 2?., 1949.

2 sheets-sheeny 2 Filed Feb. 7, .1945

.CauSeS Severe Wounds Ol Patented Mar. 22,v 1949 UNITED star-Es esta 'if @FFICE 3.1 Claims- This invention relates to pike poles` designed foruse in setting telephone,` telegraph andv power line poles. The present invention is concerned withimprovements in the pike stai or body, and alsoV in a guard forV the spike, and in a Spud` for, the base of the staff.

It is essential that a pike pole have able flexibility so that it can bend very substantially between its ends as the workman moves the lower end thereof inwardly toward the base of the pole being set. However, it must have suiiicient resilience to straighten out when removed from use, and sufficient strength to avoid fracture or shattering. If" a pike pole breaks, its broken, jagged ends or fragments can cause very serious injuries asA it snaps into pieces. Yet the pike pole must` be relatively light for convenience of transportation and to facilitate its handling by the lineman.

I have found that a pike pole made almost entirely of wood is unsatisfactory and dangerous, as pike poles are necessarily so long that when given small enough diameter to impart adequate ilexibility, they are too readilysubject to. iracture., Also, a long wooden pol'e tends-to warp. On the other hand, an all-metal pike pole is impracticable because it is ltoo heavy. Furthermore, an all-metal pike pole subjects the workman to the danger of electric shock or evenelectrocution when setting poles adjacent live wires.

Therefore, it isthe primary object of the present invention to devise a pike pole comprising kboth non-'metallic and metallic sections, so designed and interconnected as to have adequate flexibility and also adequate strength. This is accomplished without utilizing too large a diameter and without use of too heavy parts.

Anotherdanger to workmen is the sharp pike or spike-itself, which when unguarded frequently lacerations of the esh while being handled and transported. Guards have been proposed heretofore, but I- know of nonezthat has proved satisfactory. Some of them do notl fully enclose the spike, and others can slip oli sideways, thusv in reality making the spike more dangerous than ever by giving the workmen afalse sense of security, soto speak.

Therefore, it is another major object oi thisinvention to provide a spike guard' that affords iull protection, and that can be easily removed or replaced, yet that cannot be inadvertently shifted to expose the spike.

A further important object of my invention resides in the provision of a spud or spur device for attachment to the base of the pike staff to considersecurely anchor the latter to the earth as it is manipulated during the pole-setting oper-ation.,

The foregoing and other objects oithe present invention will clearly appear from a study of the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the complete pike pole assembly with guard in place, each main section being partially broken away to enable a showing of the entire device in a single view.

Figure 2, chiefly in central section, represents an enlarged view of the upper or spiked end of; the pike pole of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a similar enlargement of the rear or lower end of the pike pole o1" Figure 1;.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure l, buty with diversified elevational and sectional showings of the various parts, and with the guard and the Spud removed.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the pike pole as seen looking towards the right handl end of Figure 3.

Figure 6 represents a cross-section takenr on the plane of line ii--Fa, Figure 3.

Figure 'l is a fragmentary top plan view of the left hand end of Figure 2.

Figure 8 represents a cross-section taken sub.- stantially on the irregular line 8-8, Figure 2 With continued reference to the drawings, a multi-section staff is designated in its. entirety by the numeral le. At its front or upper end it carries a sharpened spike ll, and at its base it carries a spud indicated generally by the numeral l2. A spike guard or enclosure, indicated in entirety by numeral i3, completes the assembly, it being understood that this guard is removed when the pike pole is to be put in use.

The staff l@ comprises an intermediate section in the form of a hollow metal. sleeve, preferably of steel and preferably of about one-halithe length of the entire staii, cylindrical in cross-.section. At its ends the sleeve is tapered internally, as shown at iii, for complemental iit with correspondingly tapered external surfaces of a pair of rods l5 and ll, these rods being so shaped that they are practically identical. The rods lli, and l1' are formed from wood, vulcanized libre, or other suitable natural or synthetic Amaterial which is strong and tough and at the same time is in.- sulating or a non-conductor of electricity. Each rod has an integral reduced extension I8 fitted closely within an end of the sleeve I4, this penetration being such that, roughly, two-thirds of the sleeve remains entirely hollow. These extensions and the sleeve I4 are held against separation and relative rotation by pins or rivets 20. Preferably, the member I'I is knurled to assist the workman in frictional grip.

At the ends of the sleeve I 4, surrounding the tapered zones I5, there are provided steel ferrules 2|, preferably shrunk upon the sleeve for reinforcing and smoothing the joint. The lower ferrule also is of assistance in providing a grip for the Workmans hands. In this connection, the section I'I may have one or more holes 22, shaped as shown, for the insertion of plier handles or any similar element that may provide liftingr elements that the workman may grasp to facilitate lifting and shifting of the pike pole.

The lowermost or base end of the section Il is reduced, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, to receive a metal sleeve 23 that is pinned thereto by a rivet or the like 24. To this sleeve there is welded or otherwise integrally joined the metal spud I2, which comprises a plurality of prongs 25, pointed and arranged and suiicient in number to insure that each time the base of the pike pole is shifted and set down one or more of the prongs will bite into the earth and hold the base in its new position. The shape of these prongs also permits ready withdrawal and shifting of the Spud, and the means of attachment affords permanence.

The upper section I6 is likewise reduced, as seen in Figures 2 and 4, to receive a metal sleeve 26, pinned thereto by a rivet or the like 27. This rivet also passes through a shank portion 23 of the spike I I, the shank portion being rmly tted into the reduced extension. The sleeve 25 is capped by a heavy metal disk 30, welded thereto as shown, or made integral therewith in any suitable manner. The shank 28 preferably is welded, as shown in Figure 2, to the disk 39, through which it projects in close confinement. The spike, therefore, is very rigidly and sturdily joined to the staff at a point where flexibility is undesirable.

The disk 30 is flush peripherally with the sleeve 26, and has an endless annular groove 3l. The previously mentioned guard I3 is in the form of a sleeve 32 closed at one end by a disk 33 (which may be welded thereto or formed in one piece therewith), and which telescopes freely over the disk 30 and a portion of the sleeve 2G. It may be reinforced at its open end by a tightly tted band 34. The sleeve 32 is slotted longitudinally at 35, immediately adjacent this slot there being a spring finger 36, attached to the sleeve 32 by rivets or in any other conventional manner. The free end 37 of the lnger is bent into U-shape, or any other suitable shape to obtain the desired result, namely, of providing yielding latching cooperation between the member 36 and the sleeve 28, as permitted by the slot 35.

From the preceding paragraph it will be seen that the guard I3 may be pushed into latched position regardless of the angular relationship between the guard and the pike pole stair, and that there is no possibility of the guard being accidentally removed or displaced to cause injury to the workmen by the spike I I.

In further explanation, after complete exposition, let us assume that the pike pole assembly approximates sixteen feet in entire length. As an example, the total length of the steel sleeve i4 may be about eight feet. The non-metallic shafts I6, I'I may be iive or six feet long, each having a reduced section extending into the metal sleeve about one or two feet, and riveted thereto. The spike and the spud are very securely aixed, and between them there is an elongated zone of such strength and flexibility as to preclude rupture or shattering of the staff while imparting to the staff an almost measured and predetermined amount of flexibility.

The foregoing dimensions are not critical, but roughly they closely approximate the desirable dimensions of a multi-sectional pike pole, determined by study as well as by trial and error.

Having disclosed my invention, I wish to be limited, as is customary, only by a reasonably liberal interpretation of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a pike pole, an elongated metal sleeve, a pair of rods of iibrous material having bodies of substantially the same thickness as the external diameter of said sleeve and having reduced portions extending into the sleeve ends, and means interlocking said sleeve ends and said reduced portions, said sleeve ends having short internally tapered portions eiecting a reduction of metal thickness towards their circular entrance edges, and said rods having complemental tapered surfaces.

2. In a pike pole, an elongated metal sleeve, a pair of rods of fibrous material having bodies of substantially the same thickness as the external diameter of said sleeve and having reduced portions extending into the sleeve ends, means interlocking said sleeve ends and said reduced portions, and a ferrule tightly tted to each end of said sleeve.

3. In a pike pole comprising a staff having a sharp spike fitted coaxially to one end thereof, and a detachable guard designed to render said spike harmless, said guard and said staff embodying complemental interconnecting means preventing accidental movement of said guard to expose the sharp end of the spike, said interconnecting means comprising an annular channel on the staff and a finger on said guard yieldingly urged into said channel whereby the guard may be quickly telescoped into latched connection with said staff.

ROBERT F. LUDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 433,001 Hall July 29, 1890 537,088 Varney Apr. 9, 1895 625,201 Proctor May 16, 1899 675,118 Sweet May 28, 1901 856,159 Keller June 4, 1907 1,154,704 Leyson Sept. 28, 1915 1,325,292 Hood Dec. 16, 1919 1,573,539 Brown Feb. 16, 1926 1,741,970 Bodendieck Dec. 31, 1929 1,752,013 Leach Mar. 25, 1930 1,808,891 Hamren June 9, 1931 1,904,656 Fellay Apr. 18, 1933 

